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Hepatitis Treatments and Resources

Hepatitis C Treatments

The state of art treatment for chronic Hepatitis C infection is pegylated interferon taken with ribavirin. Peginterferon is a once a week shot, while ribavirin is taken twice a day as pills. This combination treatment is effective in about 50% of people who take it for the required amount of time. Treatment usually lasts for 24 to 48 weeks, based on the kind (or genotype) of hepatitis C you have.

In the United States, most people have genotype 1a or 1b. This is the hardest genotype to treat. There are many experimental treatments being studied for Hepatitis C. A Hepatitis C vaccine is also being studied. There is not a vaccine against Hepatitis C now. Hepatitis C can be transmitted through unprotected sex, contaminated blood, re-used needles, a contaminated multi-use medication vial, shaving razors, drug snorting devices, and by sharing a toothbrush with someone with Hepatitis C.

Many people got infected decades ago when it was unknown how the virus was spread. It is important that everyone get tested for liver disease, either by having a simple to perform and inexpensive ALT test conducted, or by having a panel of liver tests done.

We encourage people to request Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B screening from their doctor's office or practice, a clinic or blood bank when they donate blood on a regular basis.

Receiving a negative antibody test does not make you immune to Hepatitis C. Anyone with an abnormal ALT test or a positive Hepatitis C or B antibody test should have follow up tests done as soon as possible.

Hepatitis B Treatments

There are vaccines available to prevent Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B effects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Get tested for Hepatitis B. Get vaccinated for Hepatitis B. Get treated for chronic Hepatitis B. Contrary to what you might have learned many years ago chronic Hepatitis can cause serious disease and lead to cirrhosis of the liver or cancer.

Hepatitis A and/or B Vaccines

Treating Hepatitis

Using this form, let us know if you have any kind of insurance and what kind if you do, your state and zip code, and a way to respond to your questions. Make sure to include your e-mail address and a phone number if you like. Any information you send us is confidential. We don't share your identifying information with anyone.

The links on this page are for agencies that provide hepatitis vaccinations, track hepatitis infections and coordinate statewide activities. Other links provide information, educational resources and referrals for people who are both HIV and hepatitis co-infected as well. If you have not already had hepatitis, you should get vaccinated against hepatitis A (HAV) and hepatitis B (HBV). There are programs that offer these vaccines for free, or at a very low price. They are covered by most health care plans and some government programs.

If you have had hepatitis that did not go away when you first contracted it (that's called chronic hepatitis), the good news is that the number of existing and new treatments being tested for the treatment of hepatitis and its complications (such as diabetes or cancer) has really increased in the last few years. Most treatments for hepatitis C (HCV) will include a once a week or more frequent shots of interferon and ribavirin pills taken twice a day. Hepatitis B treatments are somewhat different. Find out everything you can about your liver and hepatitis, then contact any of the excellent organizations listed here, your doctor, or The Network and start asking questions.

Our objective is to help you learn about available coverage, as well as maximize your benefits through Medicare, Medicaid, or any type of private insurance you might have. The goal is to reduce your expenses to the smallest amount possible, and to make sure you know you do have options. There are many new drug combinations being studied for HCV treatment, and some for Hepatitis B.

Hepatitis C Book

[Hep C Choices, 4th Edition icon]

It's called Hepatitis C Choices . This is the 4th edition. The 3rd edition was great. The 4th is a learning and counseling experience you won't soon forget. In fact, before you even start the book you might want to orient yourself to the whole idea of being HCV positive. It's called Hep C Discussion Point. You get very helpful responses to the questions you answer.

But back to the book. You can download all of the book or the individuals chapters of interest. It includes an update on state of the art treatment of HCV, and lots of very useful information on living with HCV.

There are several chapters on alternative approaches to treating HCV, including Traditional Chinese Medicine and Modern Chinese medicine. The chapters on the Immune System, Western medical treatment of HCV are exceptional. What makes the reading so compelling are the decades of caring experience treating and caring for people with HCV that comes across throughout the book.

Hepatitis Resources
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Last modified: 04/20/2009
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